Umbilical cord has the main function of which for transferring the nutrients from the mother to the developing fetus. The components which this cord has can save the lives of the fetus in the womb.
Then, what are the compositions of the umbilical cord? Mainly, this cord has some different materials which are able to develop naturally. Firstly, the egg which has been fertilized is encased in yolk sac. It is able to provide all the nutrients which are needed by the egg. If the fetus is about in its fifth week of development, the cord is formed by the yolk sac.
This cord has some other components which are able to complete the formation of the cord. The key component is the Wharton’s Jelly. It is a thick and whitish substance which cannot be found on another body part of the human. Its main function is to protect the vein as well as the arteries which the cord has. Generally, it is in 20 inches long with the diameter of about an inch.
How does the cord work for the developing fetus? This cord is a medium which connects the fetus to the womb of its mother, placenta. It carries all the important nutrients which are needed by the baby from its mother. In addition, it also has the structure such as two arteries and one vein for pumping the fresh blood from the placenta to transfer to the fetus. In some cords, they can also possibly have only one artery with no risk of birth defect to the baby.
Nowadays, the technology grows to develop the research on the benefits of umbilical cord. It is able to treat some disorder. You can store the stem cells of the umbilical on stem cell bank. You could find some more information about umbilical cord stem cells.
